Where and how do I start looking for a home? We often people call our office and say “I’ve never bought a home before and I don’t know where to start. Do I just find a house I think I’d like to see and call the name on the sign?”

Well that will probably work to get you into that particular house and will make the person whose name is on that sign happy that their sign was on an attractive house. However, before you fall in love with a home that may have a price that is considerably more than you can afford, you might want to get a commitment from a lending institution.

Unless of course, you intend to pay cash and money is no object. But seriously, an advance home loan will give you peace of mind by knowing just how much or how little cash you will have to bring to closing. And by knowing your monthly commitment, you will be able to make that budget work for you. Now that you know what your price range is, you can tell your Realtor, “Okay, let’s go find a home for me that can fall in love with and buy.” This will get your Realtor excited and make their job of working for you much easier. Not only that, but having an approved loan is a strong bargaining tool that will give you an edge when making an offer on a property. When you and a seller of a property know that the process of credit checking and confirming employment and income have been taken care of, you are both in a better position to negotiate.

You can see how this position would make the seller more ready to meet your terms. So, back to how to start looking now that you know how much you can buy. Find a Realtor who is a member of MLS who can show you not only the listings that they have but also the listings of other offices in the area. Get to know your Realtor and feel confident and comfortable with them and with what you can afford and go fall in love with your home!